


American Women

by babydraco



Series: American Women [1]
Category: American Girls Books - Various Authors
Genre: Aged-Up Character, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-13
Updated: 2013-03-13
Packaged: 2017-12-05 05:44:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/719534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babydraco/pseuds/babydraco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part of a possible series.  It's 1911 and Samantha Parkington and  Nellie are young women, and still the best of friends.  This is non explicit slash.</p>
            </blockquote>





	American Women

Samantha gripped the bars of her cell and peered into the narrow, grimy corridor of the Manhattan police precinct. The guard leered at her and she grimaced, backing away from the door. The woman in the corner of her cell snickered.

"Someone is gonna bail ye out, ain't they?" she asked in a thick Irish accent. "A dainty flower like yourself-twelve hours is all ye can survive."

Samantha sank onto the creaky wooden bench and folded her hands in her lap. A lady never lets anyone see her get flustered, Grandmary used to say and Samantha had never been more glad of the training she'd received from her grandmother and from Miss Tremain's Academy for Young Ladies. She'd spent the last twelve hours trying not to engage her cellmate in conversation, which was getting harder and harder as the other women were bailed out and led away. At least they weren't put in with the men, who called out to them and laughed and made off color jokes to each other. Samantha had never seen such a hideous bunch of creatures and had certainly never heard that sort of language.

She was starving and her mouth seemed to be full of mothballs. Samantha sweated under her yellow cotton dress, which was wrinkled and dirty. Her thick dark hair was coming unpinned. In a few hours she was probably going to look a lot like her cellmate, who was dressed in soiled petticoats and a thin, gaudy gown that had definitely seen better days. The cellmate smelled of cheap whisky and cut price perfume.

"I'm very flexible," the woman said.

"Pardon?" Samantha asked distractedly.

"I, you know. I'm not picky. I'm just sayin', ye look like ye can afford it."

Samantha felt ill.

Some people were engaged in an argument in the other room, where Samantha and the other women had been booked. A young woman's voice was raised in discussion with a policeman.

"We know our rights," the girl was saying. Her accent was rough and slightly working class. "Is Samantha Parkington here or not?"

"Prisoners can't be released to just anyone, little girl. You have to pay the bail."

"What makes you think I can't?" the girl said.

Another male voice broke in.

"Officer, this woman has the authority to spend whatever is necessary to get Miss Parkington released and I do not appreciate your tone. I am Samantha Parkington's attorney, in case there were any questions. Her uncle, also an attorney, thinks it's quite interesting that she was booked and questioned without legal representation."

There was more mumbling and a minute later a policeman entered the room. He spoke to the guard, who walked over to the cell and unlocked the door.

"You're free to go, Miss. Try not to get yourself arrested again." Suddenly they were all politeness and chivalry. Funny that. The other prisoners cheered as she was escorted out. The most welcome sight of her life was waiting in the booking room, the tall, moustached figure of her Uncle Gard's lawyer, Mr. Rochester, and next to him, a sturdy, red haired girl in a simple green dress.

"Nellie!" Samantha gasped and moved to hug her, but she pulled back. "Sorry! I'm all dirty."

"Oh, Samantha,"Nellie said and frowned. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I-I just want to go home. "

Nellie nodded sympathetically and guided Samantha by the arm. Mr. Rochester led them out the back to avoid the possibility of newspapermen lurking on the front steps. Uncle Gard's driver had kept the auto running.

"Is he angry?" Samantha asked Mr. Rochester.

"Not at all. He was worried for your safety more than anything. Your grandmother would be apoplectic, but as long as this doesn't make the newspapers she'll never need to know. "

"You shouldn't do things like this, Samantha," Nellie said and touched a gloved hand to Samantha's arm.

"I had to!" Samantha said. "I did it on principle. We have to show that we're not playing around and if that means getting arrested-"

"Let other people get arrested. Let me come with you next time, I'll go in your place. Prison is not-it's not a place you should ever see, Samantha."

"Don't throw away your future for me,"Samantha said and squeezed Nellie's hand. "I'm not tough but I knew I'd be safe." Because I'm wealthy and my family is known, she thought and realized she was still shaking. Nellie seemed to be able to tell.

The two old dowager ladies who lived on Samantha's street were out walking their twin poodles when the auto returned to Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia's brownstone. They stared as a disheveled Samantha emerged.

"My goodness!" one said to the other. Samantha grinned tiredly at them as Nellie and Mr. Rochester hustled her inside.

"I'll draw a bath, "Nellie said and disappeared upstairs. Samantha climbed the stairs more slowly, her every bone and joint ached. The sounds of water splashing against a porcelain basin came from her private washroom, where Nellie was busy hauling and heating water.

Samantha sat on the edge of her bed and unbuttoned her shoes. It felt so good to get them off and she wiggled her toes wearily. She stood and began unbuttoning her dress; it wasn't hard because she'd worn a dress with buttons on the front that day. Nellie peeked around the doorframe.

"It's just heating up, the bath I mean," she said.

"Thank you, "Samantha said. She raised her petticoats and slowly unhooked on e of her stockings. She turned her head toward Nellie and smiled as she slid the silky fabric down her thigh, exposing her bare leg. Samantha slid the other one off, staring at Nellie the entire time and smiling. Nellie smiled back.

"Nellie, would you help me with my clothes?" Samantha asked and stepped out of her petticoats. She turned around as Nellie moved behind her and began unlacing Samantha's corset. Her hands were hot and gentle on Samantha's back and Samantha wished she could always have Nellie to help her.

Samantha took her first deep breath of the day and stretched. Her round pale breasts rose above the cups of her corset, with nipples that were starting to point.

"I better the check the water," Nellie said. Samantha padded leisurely after her. Nellie looked up as Samantha paused in the doorway. Nellie had stripped down to her own shift and bloomers and placed soap, a bathbrush and towel s next the big clawfoot tub. Samantha unpinned her hair and shook it out, letting the dark curtains fall around her shoulders as she divested herself of her now loosened corset and dropped her bloomers. Nellie blushed.

Samantha sank into the water and sighed.

"Nellie, is it worth it?" There were a few splashes as Nellie, now naked, joined her in the hot water.

"Don't say that, Samantha," Nellie said and lathered up soap. "Please, you mustn't say such things." She scrubbed Samantha's skin a bit aggressively and Samantha winced.

"Would you have done it?"

"I have more to lose than you,"Nellie said and kissed her shoulder. "Tip your head back."

"I was so scared, "Samantha admitted. She plugged her nose as she went under the water and came back up spitting water out of her mouth. Nellie tsked. "I thought, perhaps I don't have to do it. I have an easy life; my aunt and uncle are different. They give me so much freedom already. And I have money. I could finish school and go to France or- another place- be an academic in Europe. But what about the girls who can't do that? I shouldn't run away when I can help."

"As long as you don't put yourself in danger,"Nellie said.

"This isn't' a cause worth getting hurt for?" Samantha asked. She rose out of the tub and reached for a towel.

"If I can be honest," Nellie said, "Lots of things you're fighting for won't make a bit of difference to the world I was born in."

Samantha walked into the bedroom, pink and glowing from the bath. Nellie followed with two nightgowns, two robes and two pairs of slippers.

"I don't understand, " Samantha said. She pulled back the white satin covers on her brass bed.

"I mean,"Nellie turned down the gas lamps, "that you want the right to work, but I've been working since I was eight. You want to be educated but the girls I used to know won't have the chance no matter how many girls like you become doctors or lawyers. They're not thought of as people whatever gender they are and won't be even if they could vote. They work, they live, and they die. They don't have time to wonder what else is available."

"Oh," Samantha said and climbed into bed. "So it's worthless."

"No!" Nellie pulled Samantha close. "I support you. I'm only saying it won't fix everything. You can't fix it all or save the world."

Holding Samantha made Nellie's body hot and trembly. She kept wondering when they'd do the thing they'd been dancing around for years. The thing they knew they'd known they wanted, somewhere deep inside, since the night they got in trouble for falling asleep together in the boathouse when they were nine. The grownups wouldn't talk about it but they were angry for more reasons than just the class difference between the girls. Later, when Samantha saved her life, Nellie knew she never wanted a husband, she only wanted to be with this beautiful, naïve, brave, occasionally helpless girl for the rest of her life.

While she'd been wondering how to initiate things, Samantha had fallen asleep against her bosom.


End file.
